An often used blower wheel in the dryer (laundry) industry is a radial blower in which the blades are arranged in a radial pattern. This type of blower is more or less self-cleaning from lint and threads commonly found in dryer air flow. However, the efficiency of radial blowers usually requires them to be rotated at a higher rpm than, for instance, a backward inclined blower wheel. This creates a noisy blower and it is often desired or may be a necessity to equip a dryer with a less noisy blower.
A backward inclined blower is generally quieter than a radial blower. Because of its higher efficiency when compared to a radial blower the backward inclined blower may be run slower and still deliver the same air capacity. However, the leading edge of this blower is more likely to trap lint and threads than the radial type blower. Also some laundries use detergents or laundry water additives which may leave a sticky residue on blower wheel blades which tends to increase the lint accumulation.
Lint collected on blower wheels may bring the wheels out of balance causing unwanted vibration and reduced bearing life. In the past, to clean lint from a blower required awkward access through a small cleanout door. These cleanout doors are commonly located at the bottom of the blower housing to facilitate removal of nuts and bolts and other foreign items which are drawn into the blower housing. Because of the size and location of these cleanout doors, the cleaning may not be properly done, thereby aggravating the out of balance condition.
A need therefore remains for a blower including a blower wheel of the backward inclined type which is easily accessible and will have the advantage of being cleaned more often as required and thus prolong bearing life and reduce down time.